Who better to give G Line neighbors advice on how to deal with the nearly nonstop commuter train horns than those living along the A Line.
For three weeks now, G Line testing has had trains running from Union Station to Wheat Ridge from 3 a.m. until 1 a.m. Just two hours of a reprieve from the horns.
"It's been rough. It's been rough. Yeah," said Arvada resident Kymberly Matuszak.
She lives near the G Line Olde Town Arvada station. She can't see the train from her apartment, but you don't need to see it to hear it.
"One of the reasons we moved into this complex, actually, was (horn interrupts) was because we wanted to be close to the G Line, still be able to go downtown when we wanted to but, (horn interrupts) I didn't expect this to happen."
Those who live and work near the A Line have had to deal with the horns since before the A Line officially opened in April 2016.
"For me, it's all about the music. I have to have (earbuds) in," said Bridget McGovern, account manager of Western Upholstery Supply near the A Line Steele Street crossing. "If it wasn't for that, I don’t know how I could tune it out."
"I do listen to music while I work, cause I work from home," said Matuszak.
"Ear plugs, white noise machines, develop a thick skin for people saying, 'Oh, trains are so lovely,'" said Merrilee Saathoff, who lives near the A Line just off Park Hill Golf Club.
"I've done earplugs at night, but I've also missed my alarm to wake up wearing the earplugs at night," said Matuszak. "I'm hoping if I put positive energy out there, that it's going to resolve itself sooner, rather than later. Noise proof curtains maybe? I don't know if that would help."
"Taking some deep breaths. Maybe covering your ears a little bit," said McGovern. "If you can, take a break from the area. I know some people live in the area, so it's not as easy, but I can walk towards the back (of the office) and it's better."
"We built here purposely because of the proximity to the A Line and the convenience to DIA and Union Station. We understood that it was going to be a quiet zone. Which it has been anything but," said Saathoff.
On Friday, Denver filed paperwork for the first of two final steps to establish quiet zones at the Denver A Line crossings, thus ending the horn sound.
"I'll believe that when I see it in writing," said Saathoff.
Whatever the solution, G Line neighbors should prepare solutions to tune out the horns for the near and not-so-near future.
"Drink beer," said Matuszak. "I bet Kyle Clark will like that."
